Hillside Celebrates 130 Years

By Evan Pearson CFRE, CAP® | March 22, 2018

Founded in January 1888, Hillside is one of Atlanta’s oldest nonprofit organizations. Since our beginning, Hillside’s mission has been to help children and families thrive.

Just as Hillside’s location and facilities have changed over time, the mission has also evolved. Today Hillside operates as a private, nonprofit organization offering a continuum of services for children and adolescents struggling with emotional and behavioral issues. Our recent campus renovation provides for a safe and comfortable place for our clients and their families to engage in treatment. Our clinical services are focused on the most effective therapies and tools available to help the children and families in our care. Our school offers a place of learning where each client can develop academic skills along with skills to manage their social and emotional needs.

Hillside’s Dining Hall

Hillside Behavioral Health exterior in AtlantaHillside Behavioral Health Dining Hall

Recently renovated living space, Jo Williams Cottage

patient treatment room in GA at HillsideAt Hillside, our clients not only receive the best psychiatric and therapeutic care, but our clients also receive quality academic programming that is tailored to their individual needs. The Hillside Conant School, accredited by AdvancED, is a place of encouragement and enthusiasm. Our 21st-century classrooms are equipped with specialized

media teaching tools and staffed with qualified and certified teachers who understand that our work with the clients goes beyond academic achievement to encompass social and emotional wellness. DBT concepts and language are incorporated into our seating area on patio at Hillside DBTdaily classroom instructions and activities. Horticulture therapy and Recreational therapy, which encompasses ample physical activities as well as expressive art, are essential parts of our clients’ weekly schedules.

Thanks to generous grants from the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation in 2005, we have been able to train our staff in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), making Hillside one of the first treatment facilities to implement DBT with adolescents in a residential setting. Since 2005, all of Hillside’s clinicians have been intensively trained in DBT and continue to receive additional advanced training in order to remain at the cutting edge of the best clinical practices.therapy room at Hillside Behavioral Health in GA

Hillside’s leadership is committed to being an excellent psychiatric residential treatment facility that is accessible to families and clients. We started to work with insurance in 2011 and are committed to staying in network with most major insurance companies to remain accessible and lessen the financial burden for families. We have expanded our continuum to offer Partial Hospitalization and Community-based Intensive In-Home Therapy over the years.

Lori Hogeman, and Dr. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D

Hillside’s Vice President of Clinical Services, Lori Hogeman, and Dr. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., the developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), at an advanced DBT training.

In 2018, we are looking forward to becoming the first adolescent residential treatment program certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification in the Southeast. We have the first DBT-Linehan Board of Certification certified clinician in the state of Georgia on our treatment team and other clinicians in our program are currently in the certification process. Everyone on Hillside’s campus has been trained in DBT, making our campus truly an immersive DBT program.

Author

  • Evan Pearson CFRE, CAP®

    Evan M. Pearson is an accomplished, mission-driven professional with over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Renowned for his dedication to helping others and implementing organizational missions, Evan has a robust understanding of nonprofit principles, environmental challenges, and industry best practices. His career is marked by energetic and effective leadership in advocacy, legislative affairs, community engagement, marketing, communications, and fund development.

    In his role on the Executive Team at Hillside, Evan is instrumental in shaping and executing the organization's strategic plans. He is responsible for driving external relations, managing grant requests and awards, and supporting sustainable fundraising efforts. Evan maintains a close liaison with the Hillside Board of Directors and the Hillside Atlanta Foundation, ensuring that members are well-informed about all external engagements and actively seeking their support and assistance.

    Evan’s key contributions include:
    - Leading advocacy and community partnerships to expand Hillside’s impact.
    - Managing the communications and marketing team to develop and execute strategies that build awareness, grow services, and increase engagement and support.
    - Steering the fundraising strategy to meet annual revenue goals, fulfill growth and capital needs, and ensure long-term financial sustainability for Hillside.

    Evan’s commitment to his work and his expertise in strategic planning and external relations make him a vital asset to any organization he serves.

    View all posts VP of External Affairs
Current Version
Original Publication Date: March 22, 2018
Written By: Evan Pearson CFRE, CAP®
Edited By: Evan Pearson CFRE, CAP®
March 22, 2018
Clinically Reviewed by: Gaan Akers, LPC, NCC
Revision - Date: April 25, 2025, 2:57 pm by Unknown Author

Revision - Date: September 4, 2024, 10:23 am by Unknown Author

Revision - Date: June 12, 2024, 9:15 am by Unknown Author

Revision - Date: June 5, 2024, 2:47 pm by Unknown Author

Revision - Date: May 9, 2024, 4:29 pm by Unknown Author

Revision - Date: May 25, 2022, 7:59 pm by Unknown Author

Posted in